William Fletcher - A Life 1869-1919

£18.99

Parkhouse, Gerald

30/03/2017
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Hardback
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ISBN: 9780413777539

About
William Fletcher - A Life 1869-1919

The
subject of this biography is best known today from the Vanity Fair print
of 1893 by ‘Spy’ (Leslie Ward), in which the twenty-three year old William. A.
L. Fletcher (1869–1919) stands in his Oxford Blues blazer and lettered sweater,
legs apart, hands in pockets, tiny cap on head, gazing out directly at the
reader, the master of all he surveys. In this striking caricature, the artist
has captured the affable firmness of purpose which characterised Fletcher’s
life. In his time, William Fletcher was one of the giants of the rowing world, whose
guts and determination also brought him distinction and respect both on the
river and on the battlefield. He deserves to be remembered. (from the foreword by Professor Boris Rankov)

Gerald Parkhouse was born and educated in England, where
he attended Christ Church, Oxford, and rowed in the College's First Eight and
Henley Eight. He spent over thirty years in the international oil business
before serving for twenty years as Corning Glass Professor of International
Business at Elmira College, New York. He had over many years researched the
history of the Christ Church Boat Club, and had transcribed and edited a number
of the Club’s nineteenth-century record books. His history of Christ Church’s
many appearances at Henley Royal Regatta in the period 1839–1989 has recently
been published. He lived, in retirement, in Elmira. He held degrees from The
University of Oxford and Boston University, USA, and was a member of the Royal Automobile
and Leander Clubs.